


Parentage

by whatTheFuckIsThis



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:48:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22705708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatTheFuckIsThis/pseuds/whatTheFuckIsThis
Summary: The newly set up Time Bureau gets an alert about a disturbance in an orphanage in 2250. When Rip goes to check it out, he finds someone he never expected to exist: the last surviving daughter of Vandal Savage.Or: I didn’t like the clone origin story for Ava, so here’s a different one.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	Parentage

Rip had just walked into his office when an alert pinged. Since setting up the Time Bureau a few months ago, he’d only been able to set up a rudimentary version of the Legends’ timeline disturbance monitor and acquire a handle of agents. There had been others, but, well, he knew better now not to send untrained agents out into the field.

The alert didn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary. Some news reports about a child with the power to raise spirits causing panic in an orphanage in 2250. Normally, he’d send one of his agents instead of going himself but this group of agents seemed pretty accident prone. He gathered his things and set his time courier.

“Agent Ahsan,” He said to the agent as he stepped out of his office. “I’ll be out of the office all day. You’re in charge. Handle all incoming alerts. Report to me when I get back.”

“Yes sir.”

The time courier opened to 2250 and a city that he didn’t recognize. He stepped through and felt the strong, warm wind hitting his face. The dry heat hit him next. He shrugged off his suit jacket and headed into the orphanage. The woman working the front desk looked up at him and said something his translator didn’t pick up. Who knew future tech could be so buggy. He’d need to convince another tech guru to come on board. The one he nabbed from the NSA was useless.

“You’re here for the girl, I assume?” She said, glancing at his suit and clunky wrist watch. She stood up and waved for Rip to follow her before waiting for a response. “We had to separate her from the others. If you ask me, we should’ve done that even before she started raising the ghosts of these kids’ parents. With a dad and mom like that…”

They stopped by a thick metal door with the words “Ava S.” etched into the nearby wall.

“Who are her parents?” Rip asked. “My briefing was light on the details.”

The woman looked at him like he was an idiot, a thoroughly fucked idiot.

“See for yourself. I barely believed it when they told me.” She handed him a thin, unlabeled file folder. The first page outlined a routine physical with a perfectly healthy child, no sign of starvation or injuries that he would expect from an orphaned child of war. He flipped to the next page and nearly laughed out loud. Just his luck.

Parents: Vandal Savage and Hecate

“Are you fucking serious?” He muttered.

“Yep, the former ruler of the world and the most powerful sorceress we’ve ever known.” She unlocked the door and let it creak open. “I hope the New Government takes care of her just like they took care of her parents.”

“We aren’t in the habit of killing children, ma’am.”

She laughed. “You must be new, sir. This is the fifth child you suits have ‘taken’ this week. Excuse me, I have to get back to sitting at a desk and waiting for the day to be over.”

Rip looked around the small cell – room, he corrected himself. One could excuse him for the mistake. The room consisted of blank concrete walls, a metal bedframe with a mattress thinner than his forearm, and a chair. It took him a moment to find the girl, Ava, standing straight against the back wall, snapped to military attention. Her small breaths were the only movement the child allowed herself. Her eyes stared straight ahead and if she was curious about the man in the suit standing in her room, she didn’t show it.

“At ease, private,” Rip said, almost as a joke.

Humor must not have been on the lesson plan for Vandal Savage’s daughter. She took a small step forward and her shoulders relaxed until she looked like a child rather than a tiny soldier. Her eyes snapped to Rip’s face, then his suit, then the file in his hand.

“Can I ask you a few questions?” Rip motioned for Ava to sit down as he moved deeper into the room. She waited for him to stand opposite the door until she took her seat on the chair. Her feet hung a couple inches above the floor.

“Do you know who your father is?”

“Vandal Savage. Rightful ruler of the world and an immortal Egyptian god.”

Rip huffed at the last part. He still remembers driving Kendra’s blade deeper into Savage’s chest, the red blood that clung to his hands even after he washed up, and the sick sense of relief that lasted for weeks. He realized that killing a god felt no different than killing a man.

“And where is your father now?”

“Dead,” Ava said plainly.

“How do you feel about that?”

The girl paused for a second and tilted her head. “You’re not a therapist. That’s not your question.”

“Answer it anyway.”

“My father is dead. I don’t feel anything about that. It’s just a fact.”

It wasn’t hard for Rip to imagine a grown-up Ava. Conquering the world in the name of her father, in the name of a dead god instead of a warped ego and a lust for power. Savage had trained her well.

He nodded at Ava and sighed. “Get your stuff. We’re leaving.”

“Yes sir.”

She gathered her things with a practiced speed. In one minute her bag was packed and they left the room in silence.

***

It wasn’t until they arrived at a large cottage-style house that Ava spoke up.

“You’re not an agent of the New Government. They would’ve killed me by now.”

“No I am not.” Rip whispered. Ava shrived, the damp morning was a stark change from the orphanage they left. Before Rip could even knock, the door opened and he was greeted by a familiar face.

“Michael! So nice of you to stop by, although I wish it were under better circumstances.” Mary said, giving him a pointed look. The woman who raised him looked no older than she had the last time he was here with a much more rambunctious group of kids. He gave her a look that he hoped would tell her to leave her questions for later. “And who is this lovely little girl?”

“Ava Savage, ma’am.”

Panic flashed across her face, gone too quickly for Ava to see but Rip knew that look on his foster mother’s face. Mary looked up at Rip with a mix of concern and warmth.

“Well let’s get you inside. Dinner is in ten minutes. One of the kids can show you to your new room. Joni, take Ava here to the, uh, how old are you dear?”

“Ten years old ma’am.”

“What a good age,” She smiled. “Take her to the South Wing please, have her back before dinner begins.”

As soon as the two kids left, Mary dragged Rip by his tie into her office. She glared at her foster son as if he’d lightly stabbed another kid for stealing his dinner or wandered off into the woods and stumbled upon the perimeter traps. She took in a deep breath, closed her eyes, and sat down behind her desk.

“When I told you to visit more,” She said calmly. “I meant just you. Not you and the kidnapped daughter of a mass murderer.”

“She wasn’t kidnapped, I just-“

“You just took her from her home without anyone knowing and brought her here?”

He started to object but she always could see through his bullshit. The excuses he used with Sara and Ray and Stein and all the other Legends would be laughed off as pure nonsense.

“Fine. Fine. I kidnapped her.” He fell into the chair in front of her desk and kicked his feet. “What else was I supposed to do? Time isn’t safe with her in it.”

The woman shoved his feet off the desk. They hit the floor with a thud, startling the quiet room.

“So what would you have me do with her, Michael? Keep her here until she’s all grown up and then dump her somewhere outside of time? Or maybe once she’s no longer a child you’ll pull out that fancy pistol of yours and put two bullets into her. One for your wife and one for your son.”

Rip looked down at the floor. She’d gotten new carpets. Or maybe she’d just cleaned them. The mysterious white stain he’d stared at countless times was no longer there. If he looked at her, she would know that the thought of killing a child had crossed his mind. She wasn’t supposed to see him like this.

He stood up and walked over to the cabinet where she hid the only bottle of liquor in the house. After finding the bottle and a glass behind a stack of papers, he filled the glass and took a sip. At least some thing never changed in this place.

His foster mother’s usual complaints about his drinking and particularly his drinking of her liquor were nowhere to be found.

“She’s the daughter of Vandal Savage and an ancient sorceress. She’s barely ten years old and she can already raise the dead. We can’t just let her walk around in the world,” He sighed and finished his drink. Mary looked at him and he saw all of his complicated feelings reflected back at him. “You’ve seen how she acts, ma’am. Ava is Vandal Savage wrapped in a cuter, deadlier package. I have to do something.”

“Then leave her here. I’ll do what I do best. Come back when she’s eighteen and you’ve had some time to cool off. We’ll figure out what to do then.”

Part of him knew his visit would end this way. It’s why he came here instead of the Vanishing Point or the Bureau. He couldn’t kill a child whose only crime was having shitty parents. And he or the Bureau couldn’t give Ava the childhood she needed. He finished his drink and put the glass away on the tray of dirty dishes tucked away in the corner.

“Thank you.”

“I’ll see you in eight years, Michael.”

“Yes ma’am.”

He left his childhood home without a second glance. The sounds of children talking and silverware hitting dishes faded as he set his time courier. He would come back tomorrow his time, eight years in this future. Tonight, he needed to sleep.

***

The office was dark when he got back. If any of his five agents were here, he would’ve sent them home anyway. His mood was too rotten to be around secret agent and government bureaucrat types. Mopey, Sara would’ve called him. He ordered a pizza and fought the urge to pour himself another drink. He’d need a clear head tonight.

“Gideon,” He called out of habit. She didn’t answer. Of course she didn’t answer. He sighed and did a manual search for changes in the timeline.

The disturbance from Ava was gone. The future was preserved. His job should’ve been done but Ava was still there. Before he could sink deeper into his sorrow, his pizza arrived.

“Can I ask you a question, pizza man? Stop me if I start to lose you,” Rip said, handing the tired driver a wad of cash. Rip recounted his day, filling in background when necessary. Maybe an outside observer would have some useful insight on his moral dilemma. “So, what would you do if you were me?”

“I don’t know man, that’s heavy. You gotta just, just go with what feels right in the moment, you know?” Or maybe not.

“Thank you pizza man. I think that was the worst advice I’ve ever received.” Rip pulled the memory flasher from his belt and with a flash and a bang from the door, he was once again alone with his thoughts. And his pizza.

He knew Mary was right about Ava. Killing a child like Ava is exactly what the Time Masters would have done. Mercenaries like Chronos and the Pilgrim wouldn’t have hesitated for a second if it meant protecting the timeline. But he didn’t want to be like the Council and he didn’t want the Time Bureau to just be Time Masters 2.0, this time with a stricter dress code and sleeker tech. Ava wouldn’t die, at least by his hand. Now that he thought about it, he wasn’t even sure she could die. With parentage like that she might just be sent right back to Earth if anyone got too stabby or shooty.

Unfortunately there was still the question of what to do with her. Just as he finished the last slice of pizza and was about to grab a beer from the office mini-fridge, his computer got an alert.

INCOMING TRANSMISSION – AGENT AHSAN – 1096 CE MEDITERRANEAN

Rip accepted the video call and immediately regretted it.

“Sir! Thank goodness you answered! We’re pinned down and we need to find a way out.” Agent Ahsan looked panicked and, if Rip trusted his perception, seemed to be impaled by multiple arrows. “Send someone as soon as possible and bring the new memory flashers. Our cover was blown.

What cover, Rip thought. He knew the Legends’ costumes were cheesy but at least they stick out like a sore thumb if a local happened to glance in their direction.

“Alright, who’s with you?” Rip asked as he pulled up the personnel file.

“Uh, we have Edmonds, Garcia, Young-“

“Great, I’ll send-“

“And Rojas.”

“Fucking hell,” Rip muttered. “And who’s bright idea was it to take all five active agents on the mission with you? Even Garcia? He’s the computer guy. What use is he in the middle of the First Crusade?”

“You said to handle all incoming alerts, sir.” Ahsan gripped his wound. His speech was starting to slur. Rip could hear yelling in the background, but he couldn’t recognize the voices.

“I meant write an action plan and wait for me to get back, not storm headfirst into battle.”

“Sorry, sir.” He cleared his throat and collapsed into a coughing fit.

“So about that back up?” Agent Garcia asked. At least he looked unscathed from the mission.

“I’ll be there in five. Don’t do anything stupid.” At least the Legends had the decency to warn them about their fuck ups before shit hit the fan. He needed more agents.

***

By the time he got Ahsan back to medical and the scene had been cleaned up, it was halfway through the night. He collapsed on the couch in his office without a second thought and condemned himself to another day of grouchiness and neck pain.

***

Rip yawned into his elbow as he rang the doorbell to his former home. He heard light footsteps approaching the door and then small grunts coming from right behind the door.

“It’s me, Ri- Michael. I know your foster mother.”

“How do I know you’re not lying?” The little girl behind the door asked him. “You could be a time pirate or time cop. Or an agent from a rivaling time agency.”

He laughed. Mary would have to stop putting mystery novels in the library.

“I’ll tell you a secret. Do you see that cabinet to the right of the door?” She hummed in acknowledgement. “Open it up and you’ll see a crate. Perfect for smart kids to stand on and check my credentials.”

He heard the cabinet door opening, the scrapes against the floor as she positioned the crate, and finally an excited gasp.

“It is you! Weird trench coat guy,” She said as she unlatched the door.

“My trench coat wasn’t weird,” He muttered. Before he could correct the girl about his style, she skipped off into the house, yelling for Mary as she went.

Mary peeked her head out of her office and waved him inside. He took a seat next to a woman who he assumed was Ava. The tea set out for him had gone cold. He must have been late.

“Ava and I were just discussing her options. Obviously she can’t go back to her time, but there are plenty of times and places where her magical powers could go unnoticed.” Mary looked Rip in his eyes. “I hope your… previous plan is off the table now that you’ve had time to cool off.”

He nodded and casually glanced at Ava. If she knew what they meant, her face gave no indication. Her face was as neutral as the first time he saw her except now there was something more behind her eyes. She seemed less content to stay quiet when her life was on the line.

“Sir, if I may. I know you and my father had a complicated past and before we go any further, I’d like to apologize for that. His actions were despicable and his goal was quite silly. I mean, conquering the world? What a waste of all that time and energy? It would’ve been better to just blow it up or-“

With a pointed look from Mary, Ava cleared her throat and stopped talking.

“Not that I want to do that or anything,” Ava said, looking away from both of the adults in the room. Rip almost laughed at that.

He thought carefully about how to bring up his plan. He couldn’t make it seem like this was her only option. That would be as good as killing her given how dangerous the Bureau’s missions were getting. No, he had to be very casual about it.

“Well, while I was drifting off to sleep last night at a reasonable hour and completely sober I had a thought. Stay with me here. What if you join me?”

“What?”

“No that came out wrong. I just meant… I started a new agency-“

“Michael,” Mary said in a tone that made it clear she thought this idea would blow up in his face.

“I said stay with me!” He took a deep breath and weighed the pros and cons of being honest. “My last team, the Legends, kind of broke time and, well, I needed a way to put it back together. And the Legends aren’t suited for that kind of work.”

“What kind? The competent kind?” Ava asked.

He held his tongue. “I’ve just started it and we already have a couple agents in the field but I need more and you-“

“I’ll do it.” Ava rushed out.

“I didn’t even get through my pitch. You don’t know what the job entails or how dangerous it is or anything like that.”

“I don’t need to. My father messed with time and ruined people’s lives for centuries. If I have the ability to prevent a similar disaster, I need to do that.”

He looked over to Mary. She gave him a small smile and nodded to Ava. It was Ava’s decision, not hers or his. He stood up and Ava followed his lead.

“Welcome aboard, Agent Savage,” he said, outstretching his hand.

“Sharpe,” she corrected. She shook his hand with a calm strength and for the first time since he saw that little girl in the orphanage she didn’t remind him of the man who’s started all of this.

“Welcome aboard, Agent Sharpe. We’re lucky to have you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Clones are a stupid origin story. Don't come at me.


End file.
